photo taken October 2019

CLICK HERE
for an audio file of Charlie howling with me
(the difference is obvious)
and Eli meowing.

This is a great question, a common question from you all, and one that requires a lengthy and multifaceted answer, so I’ll take it in parts. First of all, I don’t have a ton of experience with dogs; spending time with the dogs my friends and family members have (and now Chloe, the puppy) is the extent of it. So, I can only use what I’ve seen for this comparison, though I’m sure there is great variation among dogs.

Social Behavior With People:
Every dog I’ve known has been eager to meet strangers and been incredibly accepting and friendly towards humans they’ve never met. Though some dogs are antisocial and most animals will be less accepting of certain people (reading their energy), the generalization I’m making is obvious at any park, and it’s why there’s the old cliche that guys get dogs to meet chicks.

Charlie’s the opposite. He does not blindly accept people (other than MC and me), he doesn’t trust them, he doesn’t want to get friendly with them. I don’t know if this is soley a function of being a coyote or if a natural tendency was exacerbated because I was so concerned about keeping him low-key in my town that I did not socialize him to lots of people when he was young.

Charlie has never tried to attack strangers who come by, but if he felt cornered or threatened, he might. Sometimes he makes a territorial challenge huff-bark when people come to my house, other times he hides and watches from afar. It depends on the person, how close they get, and how long they stay.

When it comes to social behavior with people, Charlie is more like the average adult than the average dog – he goes in on the defensive and does not offer up his trust, it must be drawn out and earned over time.